


the stars are out tonight

by Milletrye



Category: Detentionaire (Cartoon)
Genre: Depression, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, far more fluff than angst dw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23750128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milletrye/pseuds/Milletrye
Summary: To Goob, Cyrus is more than just a bandmate. And he owes him so much - his guitar, his health, hislife- that he figures it's time to give him something in return.But how is he supposed to do that when Cy already has it all?
Relationships: Cyrus Xavier/Goob (Detentionaire)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	the stars are out tonight

_I know your light rays, nights, days harmonize the noise_  
_Can you hear how loud your voice is?_  
_Is it luck, was it your choices?_  
_From afar our counterparts keep us alive_  
_When it's dark I know you're here to shine_  
_How does it feel to be the light?_

* * *

Cyrus believed in gods.

Not in a single entity, but in _gods_ , plural, Goob knew: the Greek pantheon and everything that had to do with it. Something he had picked up from his grandfather years ago, and one of way too many things his dad would tell him to drop if he ever found out. It wasn't something a lot of people knew about, because Cy never made a big deal out of it. But before every gig with the Dudes of Darkness, he'd whisper something to himself, words in a language none of his bandmates knew how to speak.

" _To the Muses_ ", he'd said when Goob had asked him about it one time. "There's a hymn like that for almost everyone that matters. Might as well get them in a good mood before we play, huh?"

Goob didn't think there were any ancient spirits at work when it came to rocking out. He was pretty sure this kind of music hadn't even been invented back when that faith had been popular. And yet, at the same time... he knew better than anyone that there was something unearthly about Cy. Not just in the way his mane of curls fell onto his shoulders, or in the way his deep brown eyes looked like they could see into your very soul.

It was the way he played his guitar, his hands dancing nimbly across the strings.

It was the way his lyrics said everything he wanted to say, the way he sung them in his oh so deep voice. As if those gods he believed in were speaking right through him with every word.

He knew it sounded cheesy, and he wasn't ever planning to say it aloud, but it was true. If Goob had to commit to a religion, Cyrus was the one he'd choose.

 _Not like I haven't already_ , he thought, watching as his bandmate entered the bathroom the Dudes of Darkness often had their rehearsals in. Cy was wearing his usual getup - white tank top, black vest, top hat obscuring his eyes -, striding into the room with his guitar on his back as if nothing in the world could ever ruin his wonderful mood.

"Only ten minutes late this time", Skeeter commented from the stall door he was leaning against. He hadn't sounded angry, but Goob shot him a glare anyway, to which Skeeter replied with a grin. He knew as well as the rest of the band what Goob was thinking about their lead singer, and he got some dumb kind of enjoyment from teasing him about it. Which kind of made Goob like him even less than he already did, for several reasons too stressful to think about.

Cy, at least, didn't really mind, much like he usually didn't. "Couldn't just pass up those lyrics, dude", he said in that voice no one could ever grow tired of listening to. "Had to write them down."

"Let's hear them", Goob said before Skeeter could reply again, and Cy nodded - first at him, and then at Rud, their drummer.

"Wanna give me a beat?"

"Gotcha." Rud was already in position, so it only took him a couple of seconds to get started. Skeeter immediately nodded to his tunes, fighting the urge to join in with his own instrument. Cyrus, on the other hand, did just that, getting a hold of his guitar and starting to play however inspiration had struck him. It was a new sound, of course it was... one that made Goob want to use his guitar as well, to work out the perfect way to complement Cy's tunes with his own. But he didn't, because this was still the initial take, the one where Cy was spilling out whatever chords and lyrics his brain - or his spirits, or whatever - had blessed him with this time.

And, man. Was that what he was doing. Cy's singing voice wasn't all that different from the way he sounded when talking, but in combination with the music, it amplified everything Goob loved so much about it. The raw energy in his vocals, the passion he put into every syllable... it really was beautiful to listen to. So much so that Goob didn't even pay all that much attention to the lyrics themselves, because Cy's voice alone was making him close his eyes and transporting him to an entirely different plane of existence. One where, at least for the duration of a song, he could forget about all his anxieties and self-loathing and everything else that made his life hell day after day.

A spell that was broken the second Cy was strumming his final chords and Skeeter voiced his enjoyment by pretty much screeching right into Goob's ear.

"One of these days you'll make me go deaf, I swear", he muttered, opening his eyes just to see his bandmate give him one of his obnoxious grins.

"So what? Easy to work around", Skeeter told him, lifting his hand to one of his ears to get some of the hair in front of it out of the way. A second later, he let it fall back down again, but it had been enough time for Goob to catch a glimpse of the hearing aid he knew his bandmate had already owned for years.

He was about to give Skeeter some sort of remotely frustrated reply when Cy's voice snapped him out of it. "So what do you think?", he asked as he dried himself off with a towel.

"Digging the sound, dude. We can work with that." Somehow, Goob managed a reply that didn't go into detail about how he really felt about all of this. That was the last thing he wanted Skeeter to hear, and he could also do without Cy himself reacting to words like that. Sure, Cy knew better than anyone how important he was to his bandmate, but Goob still didn't have a clue how exactly he _felt_ about it. And he wasn't sure he wanted to know, really.

Cy was more than just his bandmate, after all. He was the best - and for a long time, only - friend he'd ever had, ever since they'd met in this very bathroom way back in early ninth grade. Goob had just been sitting there by himself, jamming as aggressively as one could on an acoustic guitar to release his pent-up miserable feelings of the day, completely unaware of Cy listening to it all from the stall next door. But then he'd revealed himself... and _complimented_ him about his tunes, something nobody had ever done before. Back then, Goob had been suspicious of anyone who seemed like they were going to be nice to him, but it had turned out that Cy, unlike everyone else he knew at the time, had been entirely genuine. So then they'd jammed together more and more often, evolving into an actual band along the way... and when Cy had accidentally found out about his issues with depression, he hadn't stopped liking him.

On the contrary, Cy had just started to care about him even more. He'd gotten him his wonderful purple guitar for his birthday; hell, he'd even dragged him to therapy and hadn't minded at all to bear the costs. Goob hadn't asked him for either of this; Cy had thought of it all by himself. Not just because he knew that Goob's family was poor as hell compared to him, but because he actually _cared_.

It was weird and it was awkward and it was also the best feeling in the world.

His reminiscing was cut short when Skeeter jabbed him in the side with his elbow, making Goob wince in sudden pain.

"What was that for?", he snapped at his bandmate, one hand holding the spot that was already starting to ache.

"Just making sure you're still here with us", Skeeter said, unbothered. "We're gonna actually start rehearsing now, so I figured you'd wanna be around for that." His smile shifted into a grin once again. "Cy wanted to hear your thoughts on the lyrics too, but you were kinda zoning out back there, so I covered for you. Thank me when you've got enough guts to finally tell him how you feel."

Goob's face flushed red, his eyes darting over to Cy. Had he heard Skeeter just now? No, it looked like their singer was busy talking to Rud about who knew what. Fighting off his embarrassment, Goob shot Skeeter a glare. "Love you too, dude."

"Not as much as a certain other someone", Skeeter pointed out.

Goob turned away from him before this could get any more uncomfortable. With just a few steps, he was right with Cy and Rud, and - hoping he didn't look as awkward as he felt - he asked, "So, wanna start playing or what?"

* * *

Thankfully, the rest of the rehearsal went by without any more incidents, and only with two or three screeches from Skeeter's side. Rocking out on his guitar, losing himself to the music - and to the way Cy's vocals harmonized so wonderfully with the sounds he was producing -, Goob found it easy to forget what had gotten him so riled up only minutes ago.

But it all came back once the rehearsal was over. It was Skeeter's turn to help Rud get his drum set back into the backstage part of the gym this time, meaning that, for a moment, Goob and Cy were alone in the bathroom together. Goob kind of wanted to head home immediately, but on his way to the exit, Cy's voice made him stop.

"Are you okay?"

Goob grimaced. This wasn't Cy's usual laid-back voice, but the one he used whenever he got the feeling Goob was going through one of his messed up phases again. It was flattering, kind of, that someone legitimately gave a shit about him like that, but at the same time, it was also not exactly his favorite subject to talk about.

So he did his best to look like nothing was wrong as he turned around to face Cy, who was ridiculously tiny compared to him. Not that it mattered. "Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine."

Maybe Cy could sense that he wasn't lying - after all, he really wasn't in too bad of a mood today, and his thoughts weren't particularly messed up -, so he nodded, lifting his head to look right at Goob's face. His eyes were visible now, all warm and relieved. "I'm glad."

"Yeah." Goob cracked a smile at him as well, but his mind kept spinning as he thought of something decent to say. "Thanks for asking."

"Of course, man. You deserve it."

Goob flinched at those words before he could help it. Unlike Cy, he wasn't sure whether they were actually true... but for once, that wasn't the only thing on his mind. _Look at what you've done for me, Cy_ , he thought. _That guitar you got me, and therapy, and, fuck, that stupid jingle you wrote me so I wouldn't slack off on taking my meds. And putting up with me in general, no matter how much I feel like dying sometimes._

_I need to give you something in return. Anything. But I have no idea what, because there's nothing you couldn't just get yourself, with how rich and influential your dad is and all._

_Unless..._

Goob blinked in surprise as he realized something.

_Unless I get you something that pain in the ass doesn't even know exists._

It was kind of a stupid idea that suddenly formed inside his head, but it was an idea all the same. One that might actually work out. Maybe.

"Hey, Cy?", he asked, realizing that his friend was still standing there with a bit of a worried expression on his face. _That's what I get for zoning out, I guess._

But when Cy heard his suddenly kind of excited tone, he smiled. "Yeah?"

"Wanna come over again sometime? Stay the night and all."

Cy's expression widened into one of those smiles that made Goob feel emotions he had no words for at all. "My mom's coming over this Friday. Would be nice to bail out from spending anything more than the afternoon together with her and Dad." He gave an exaggerated shudder, and Goob nodded, understanding. Cy's mother was out of town for her job pretty much all the time, and even when she wasn't, she had her own apartment away from him and his dad: His parents weren't exactly in love anymore - if they had ever been at all -, but they also weren't really on bad terms or whatever. They acted like colleagues more than anything, and Cy only saw his mom once every two months or so. And even though he didn't have to hide his band and passions from her like he had to with his dad, he still didn't like spending time with both his parents together. It was awkward and stiff and all those other things he hated, so Goob could see why he would gladly take his offer this particular week.

"Friday it is", he said, managing a grin. "Can't wait."

That was true right now more than the several times they'd had sleepovers at his place before. This time, he had something special to arrange for his friend.

Something he hoped Cyrus would dig as much as he thought.

* * *

That Friday afternoon, Goob was more nervous than he'd been in a long time. What he was planning to do wasn't that big of a deal, he knew that, and he'd already made sure his parents were okay with it. Still, there was the nagging question of what _Cyrus_ would think about all of it - would he enjoy it at all? Or would he consider it nothing but a waste of time? Sure, he probably wasn't gonna stop being friends with Goob if this didn't work out, but this was supposed to _impress_ him. To make up to him for his greatness, no matter how impossible that was.

Thankfully, the sound of the doorbell interrupted Goob's thoughts, and he pressed the button to open the door downstairs without even letting the other person say a word. Sure enough, it was Cy who appeared on the stairway soon after, his guitar on his back and a bag with his belongings in hand. Goob couldn't help but smile when he saw him, and Cy smiled back, the way he always did at the rare sight of Goob having his hood down. "Hey, dude", he said, not at all out of breath even after heading all the way up onto the fifth floor.

"Hey", Goob replied, bumping Cy's fist once he was close enough. "Glad to see your parents actually let you out."

Cy snorted. "It's no big deal, really. I actually think they'll appreciate having some alone time today. Besides, I'll still have to make it through the rest of the weekend." He headed past Goob and into the apartment, throwing his bag onto Goob's bed as if this was his room as well. And it was, kind of, with how often he came over to hang out. "Are your parents home?"

"Nah", Goob said. "Mom's got a night shift and Dad's doing some hanging out of his own. Guess we'll see when he's back."

"Cool", Cy replied, then fell silent for a moment as he looked around the room. He couldn't really walk around a lot - the place was too tiny and cramped for that -, but he still took in everything; the posters and CDs and all the stuff Goob should've probably cleaned up at some point. But he knew that it didn't matter to Cyrus, because if anything, his friend was _jealous_ of the way his room looked, as ridiculous as that sounded. Thanks to his way too serious father, he couldn't really show off his interests or make too much of a mess in his own one, after all.

 _Or keep pets_ , Goob thought as he watched Cy step over to the cage where he kept his two rats, Slash and Cobain. They were used to his visits enough that they didn't mind when he opened the cage... and seconds later, they were already scurrying up his arm and into his wild mane of curls. Cy wasn't bothered by that at all; instead, he slowly lay down on whatever space there was left on the floor, and Goob sat down next to him, grinning. It was a genuine grin, entirely unaffected by the negative thoughts Cy's presence alone managed to push far into his backbrain.

"Make sure they don't tear out anything too noticeable", he told his friend. "That'd be hard to explain to your parents."

"Eh", Cy said with as much of a shrug as he managed in his current position. "I'll just tell them some bird was trying to build a nest up there. That's what I'm always expecting to happen when I'm not wearing my top hat anyway."

Goob snorted - it was true, Cy hadn't brought his trademark headwear; it was kind of pointless during a sleepover after all. But he didn't need his top hat to look awesome, of course not. Not as Cyrus Xavier. Goob was pretty sure Cy looked fantastic in anything.

"So, got anything in particular planned for tonight?", Cy asked at some point, and even though he sounded entirely casual, Goob stiffened a little. Luckily, Cy was still lying down and too distracted by the rats to notice.

"Actually, yeah", he managed, doing his best to hide the sudden burst of adrenaline surging through his body. "But we still have an hour or so before we should get going."

Cy blinked up at him. "We're going somewhere?"

Was he mad at him? Annoyed? No, he just sounded surprised. _For now_ , Goob thought grimly, but pushed that worry aside. He wasn't gonna let his thoughts ruin this evening for him. "Yeah, it's... it's a surprise, I guess. Something I thought you might like."

"Sweet", Cy said, just as Slash made a move to run off into one of the way too many piles of stuff around the room. So Goob picked him up to put him back into the cage, and then he watched as Cy managed to get Cobain out of his hair as well. Before long, both of the rats were back where they were supposed to be, and Goob and Cy passed the rest of that remaining hour listening to some of those CDs Cy's dad would never let him play at home.

And then it was time for Goob's surprise.

"You don't have to bring anything", he told Cy as he grabbed everything _he_ was gonna need for all this. Which didn't amount to much, just his guitar and the keys his dad had left him. When Cy noticed that, he picked up his own guitar again as well, apparently willing to go along with whatever Goob had planned for the two of them. That was something Goob often appreciated about his friend, although it also made him wonder if Cy was doing that all the time, even if his mind was full of doubts and other thoughts he didn't tell Goob just so he wouldn't hurt his feelings.

But he couldn't worry about that now. Goob made sure his rats had everything they needed for the rest of the evening, then led Cyrus back downstairs. Back outside, and then over to his dad's old but still very much functional dark gray Ford. The moment he headed to the front of the car, however, he heard Cy's startled voice.

"Dude", he said, looking and sounding so taken aback that it felt like a punch in the gut. It wasn't the good kind of taken aback. "Don't tell me you're gonna drive that thing."

"I am", Goob replied as confidently as he could before his thoughts would overwhelm him. "Look, Cy, I know what you're thinking. No, I don't have a licence - of course I don't -, and yeah, we'll be in major trouble if we get caught. But -", he emphasized, especially so when he saw how unconvinced his friend still looked, "- Dad's been giving me lessons for months now. I _know_ how to drive this thing. No one's gonna notice I'm not supposed to be doing this, especially since nobody's ever on that road to begin with." He met Cy's gaze, subtle desperation versus concern, and put all of his feelings into what he said next. "Trust me on this, Cy. Please. I really want you to see this."

For an awfully long moment, Cy didn't say anything. "My dad's so gonna kill me for this if we get busted", he muttered eventually, and something inside Goob died at those words. But then, his friend cracked a weary smile. "I don't know shit about driving, actually. But if you think you can do it, I'll believe you on that. I'm in."

Goob gave him a smile in return where just _grateful_ didn't quite cut his emotions. Then, he unlocked the car, and after dumping their guitars onto the back seats, he and Cy took a seat as well. Goob on the driver's seat, and Cy right next to him.

"No talking, okay?", Goob said as he started the engine. He knew what he was doing, and his actions were confident enough as well, but it was better not to risk anything. Cy was right - if they got caught, they were toast. His bandmate only gave him a nod, and so they took off, the only sound being the low volume rock on the car radio.

Driving wasn't all that bad, honestly. Goob actually enjoyed it a lot, partly because keeping his mind focused on that whole matter stopped his thoughts from going onto one of their bullshit tangents. Right now, that meant he couldn't go back to worrying about Cy's opinion on this whole thing - and on him in general -, so it was a welcome distraction, really. Goob took the quickest route to the outskirts of town, and then, more slowly, headed onto a road leading out of the city. Not one of the big ones, but one where, as he said, there wouldn't be any other cars around. It probably wouldn't have mattered anyway, because it was all one straight line from here. Nothing to worry about except for his slowly resurfacing thoughts.

Then he noticed Cy, all relaxed and looking out the window on his side of the car, marveling at the slowly setting sun, and he knew that his plan was working.

Goob drove ahead for a few more minutes, all the way until the city's skyline behind them was way out of sight. Then, at last, he saw their destination: a no-concrete field road branching off of the one they were on, leading up to a small and thankfully unoccupied set of parking spaces. Goob took the car exactly there, and before long, he turned off the engine and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "There. We're here."

Cy continued his look outside the window for another few seconds before he snapped out of it, turning his head to face Goob. He seemed more confused than anything, as if he couldn't believe they'd stopped driving. "We are?"

"Yeah. One of me and my dad's favorite places to be." For once, Goob couldn't even start worrying about Cy's opinion, because he was too amused by how genuinely bewildered his friend looked right now. Goob stepped outside, as did Cy, and he watched as his bandmate turned around in a circle.

"Yo, is there something I'm missing? This is, like, the middle of nowhere."

Goob couldn't help but grin. "Exactly." He opened one of the doors to the back seats, retrieving their two guitars and handing Cy the one that belonged to him. "C'mon, make yourself comfortable. As in, be as uncomfortable as you wanna be. Nobody's gonna stop you."

There was a grin on Cy's face as well when realization dawned on him. "You guys come here to rock?"

"Pretty much, yeah. And some other stuff - but we'll have time for that later." To back up that point, Goob started playing; one of the DoD's songs that was perfect for screaming one's lungs out, both literally and via the sounds of one's guitar. Cy joined in with his one just a few milliseconds later, and then, he added vocals. And Goob did as well.

Goob wasn't that great of a singer, at least not when it came to the songs his band was performing. His voice couldn't reach anywhere near the tones Cy was unleashing, so he was happy to just do the backing vocals whenever that was a thing worth adding to a track. But out here, where nobody gave a shit about how he sounded? Where all that mattered was how he could let out all of his fury and loathing and misery with his voice alone, without having to think about how other people felt about it? He was happy to sing along to Cyrus's lyrics, because of course he knew all of them by heart.

And so they played, and sang, and jumped around the parking lot as if they were performing at the Super Bowl halftime show, until even Cy with his unparalleled endurance couldn't manage another word. They just stood there now, panting heavily and grinning at each other in a way that didn't leave Goob much room to wonder whether Cy was enjoying this. Still, he knew, this had just been part one of his plan.

The real deal was only about to begin.

Cy didn't know that yet, of course. "Man, that was wild", he said when he'd finally caught his breath again. "I can see why you wanted to show me that."

Goob shook his head with a nervous smile. He hadn't had his hood up all afternoon, so he could actually feel a bit of the wind in his hair. "That's not why I took you here. Not only, anyway."

"Whoa. Now I'm curious."

 _So am I_ , Goob thought as he walked to the back of the car. "Go make yourself comfortable. For real this time. This thing can handle the two of us chilling on its hood." He didn't check if Cy actually followed the suggestion, because he was busy retrieving everything he'd stored in the trunk of the car in advance: drinks, snacks, one of those ranch style lanterns he would turn on once thing got too dark around them, and of course, his dad's old cassette player complete with several tapes from way back in the 80s. But when he returned to his friend with all of that stuff in hand, he saw Cy just where he'd told him to be. Sitting on the hood of his dad's car, leaning against the windshield, and looking at him with a smile that was made all the more wonderful by the light of the setting sun.

Goob joined him up there with ease, dumping the stuff he'd brought around them. He felt Cy's eyes on him as he set up the player, and when his friend still looked at him with a bit of a stunned expression even after the first song had started, Goob couldn't help but ask, "Something wrong?"

"What?", Cy asked, snapping out of his momentary daze. "Oh, no, I just - I've never actually seen a thing like this before."

"Seriously?" Goob was baffled at first, but soon enough, his expression shifted into another grin. "The great Captain Top Hat has never seen a cassette player?"

Cy raised his hands up in defense, chuckling. "I know what this _is_ , dude. I've just never seen one in action. You know my dad's got something against outdated tech."

 _Yeah, money._ But Goob didn't say that out loud, because he really didn't want to ruin the mood. And besides, it didn't matter in this context anyway - there was nothing he'd ever trade the jam sessions with Dad and his player for. "Something against decent music, too", he said instead. "Does he even listen to any at all?"

"Classical", Cy replied as he opened the bag of chips that was part of Goob's loot from the trunk. "The only thing he can listen to while he's busy with his paperwork. Which, you know, is pretty much all the time."

"Yeah." Goob nodded, popping open the bottles of energy drink he'd brought along as well. When he handed Cy one of them, his friend eyed the bottle with a snort.

"Purple? Really? That's new."

"Kinda stopped being into Splat after all the shit that went down at school", Goob shrugged, hesitating. "You too, right? Haven't seen you drink that stuff in ages." _And I'm glad_ , he added silently. He'd almost lost it during those couple of days Cy had pretty much gotten addicted to Green Apple Splat, to the point where his friend had even quit the band for several hours eventually. Which wasn't that long of a time, but Goob hadn't known that back then. It sure hadn't felt like it, either.

Cy seemed to know what he was thinking, his smile wavering a little. Goob kind of expected him to apologize for what had happened, even though they'd been over that several times already. But Cy said something else. "My dad's got this major issue with anything that even smells like apples, did you know that? It's not allergies, but he won't tell me what's bothering him." Before Goob could say anything, Cy shrugged as well, taking a big gulp of grape-flavored Faygo. "Guess the gist is that there's no way I'm getting near Green Apple Splat again. Even if I wanted to - which, to be clear, I don't -, I'd have to do it in school, and _then_ go through the trouble of hiding the smell of my breath from my dad. So totally not worth it."

"Totally", Goob agreed, and a quick glance into the right direction told him just what he needed to know. With a deep breath that he hoped wasn't too noticeable, he turned back to Cy before using his head to gesture at the horizon ahead of them. "This is the thing I wanted to show you, by the way."

Cy turned his head immediately, but Goob didn't. He wanted to see his friend's reaction.

And it didn't disappoint. Cy didn't say anything for a long, long time; his eyes were fixed on the landscape ahead. There wasn't that much to look at, exactly, just the sun that had almost disappeared below the horizon by now. But that was more than enough to take Cy's breath away, because the sun was tinting the sky in shades of pink and gold and the few scattered clouds in beautiful orange hues. It was gorgeous, to say the least, and all Cy managed was another "Whoa", his mind clearly wandering who knew where.

"It gets better", Goob smiled, more to himself than anything, and Cy shot him a startled glance from the side. But he didn't feel like elaborating, so he just turned to look at the sunset as well. Cy, sure enough, did the same, and it was only the quiet, muffled sound of Bryan Adams's _Summer of '69_ that stopped them from sitting in complete silence. Eventually, when the sun had vanished at last, Goob turned on his lantern, but even then, they didn't say a word. They only watched as it turned darker and darker around them, the stars slowly making their way onto the sky.

Out here, way beyond the edges of the city, there was nothing in any direction that could pollute the night sky with its light. And without a disturbance like that, more than just the brightest of stars were visible: the sky was full of them, bright and dim stars alike covering nearly every inch of the vast canvas above. And right in front of the car - Goob had chosen this particular parking space for a reason -, a trail of blue and silver spanned across the sky, a sight no one within the city would ever get to see. The Milky Way in all its unparalleled glory.

At some point, the player between them signaled the end of the current tape, and Goob decided to turn the thing off. His eyes met Cy's, and somehow, his friend's smile was more stunning than ever, so warm and genuinely emotional that Goob forgot how to breathe. But Cy didn't say a word; instead, he grabbed his guitar again... and started playing. It was a sound unlike anything Goob had ever heard him play with the DoD before, unlike anything he'd known electric guitars to be capable of. It was calm and slow and haunting, a million times more otherworldly than Goob thought Cyrus to be anyway.

And then he started singing.

But not in English. Goob had no idea what any of his friend's words meant; they were in a language he didn't know how to speak. Ancient Greek, he figured, much like those so-called hymns Cy muttered occasionally. Was this one of them? Some other ancient song? Or something Cy was making up at this very moment?

Whatever the case, it didn't matter. Even without understanding a word, Goob could feel his friend's heartfelt emotions, and every syllable and every chord stirred up something deep inside of him. However much Cy's music normally affected him - combined with these surroundings and tunes and vocals, this was more than Goob could stay outwardly unaffected about. Soon enough, he felt the tears on his face, but he let them come. Right then and there, he couldn't have cared less.

This was the happiest he'd felt in ages, or probably ever, and he was gonna embrace it with every fiber of his being.

Eventually, though, Cy's music came to an end, and when it did, Goob couldn't help but laugh to himself, still loud enough for his friend to hear.

"What's so funny?", Cy asked, his words sounding strange now that he was speaking English again. He didn't even seem confused at all, his voice and expression still carrying the tranquil joy from his performance just now.

It took Goob a moment before he'd collected himself enough to reply. He was still way too distracted by what he'd just witnessed. "I did all of this to impress you, you know", he admitted in the end. "To thank you for all the stuff you've done for me." He looked up at the stars as he continued talking, unable to feel the night's cold with how much Cy had warmed his insides. "I've tried coming up with something for ages, but I had no idea what to do. I couldn't buy you anything you couldn't just get yourself, and Rud's the artsy one of us, not me. And I suck at writing lyrics. So I figured I'd show you something you definitely haven't seen before, because there's no way your dad ever did stuff like this with you. And, I mean, it worked, but... man. Guess I should've figured you'd just straight up one-up me again."

That last sentence came out more bitter than he'd wanted it to, but he couldn't exactly take it back. _Why do you always have to mess things up, idiot?_ , he cursed himself, then risked a glance back in Cy's direction. His friend was still looking at him, his expression hard to read in the lantern's light.

"Dude", he said, sounding a strange kind of overwhelmed. "You don't owe me anything for the stuff I'm helping you out with."

"Sure I do", Goob interrupted him before he could help it. "You're Cyrus Xavier, pretty much perfect in every way. With how you look and sing and play the guitar and - fuck, Cy. With everything you've ever done for me. I'd be _dead_ if it wasn't for you. How can I not owe you anything when I owe you my fucking _life_?"

He hadn't sounded bitter this time, just frustrated. Didn't Cy see how important he was to him? Didn't he _care_?

Cy shook his head, slowly, without breaking eye contact. "Because _you're_ Magnus Goober, the greatest person _I_ know", he told him, and Goob knew he was genuine because he always was. "And that you're still alive, even after everything you've been through... that's already payback enough for me. Seriously."

"See? You're doing it again. Being so great that I have no idea how I could ever deserve someone like you."

"You're doing it again, too", Cy said, but he didn't sound angry. Just some weary kind of amused. "Believing you don't deserve anything good in your life. But you do, and if it takes me to remind you of that, there's nothing I'd rather be doing."

These words sounded so much like a confession that for a moment, Goob debated on telling Cy how he really felt about him. That he _loved_ him, romantically, and that sometimes he wanted nothing more than to touch him and kiss him and pay back his debt that way. But he didn't even know if Cy was into guys, and he sure as hell didn't want to think about what would happen if he didn't return his feelings. Sure, Cy would be chill about it, but Goob himself? He had no idea how he could stay in the band and carry on as if his hopes had never been crushed at all.

So he didn't tell Cy anything of the sort, not now. It wasn't worth the risk. "There's nothing I'd rather be doing right now than this, either", he said instead, and he noticed in relief how Cy's smile was widening.

"Me neither, dude. It really was one hell of an awesome idea. I'd even call it the greatest night of my life."

Goob nodded, glad Cy couldn't really see him blush in this light. "Yeah, me too. I had no idea you could play like that."

"It's a bit harder on the ax than on the bouzouki, but yeah, I guess it's passable", Cy replied, snorting when he saw Goob's confused expression. "An old kinda string instrument Grandpa showed me how to play." His face lit up, the way it always did when he had a sudden burst of inspiration. "Hey, why don't you come along next time I pay him a visit? He's far more chill than my dad, I'm sure you'd get along great."

"Sure", Goob agreed immediately, even if he didn't know what to expect. He didn't have any grandparents worth visiting; maybe this would really turn out pretty nice. And he knew Cy was upset that he couldn't introduce Goob to his parents, so joining him here was the least he could do.

Lost in thought, Goob found himself yawning, and then he saw Cy do the same. He had no idea how late it was by now, but this was as good a sign as any.

"You know, I think we'd better head back now", he suggested. "Don't exactly wanna fall asleep anywhere that isn't my bed."

Cy nodded. "I'll make sure you don't do that while driving."

Relieved, Goob noticed that his friend sounded more teasing than worried this time around, and so they packed up their stuff and, soon enough, were back on the road again. It was the first time Goob was driving at night without his dad by his side, but he was less nervous than he probably should've been. This evening he'd just shared with Cy, everything that had happened there, was still resonating inside him in all its wonderful glory, and he was gonna cherish this memory for the rest of his life. He was still all but convinced that Cy was right about him actually deserving anything this awesome - because seriously, he wasn't that great of a person and even a downright jerk a lot of the time -, but Cy had given him this amazing song in these amazing surroundings, and that moment alone was all Goob needed to feel great for once.

In that wonderful state of mind, it wasn't hard to get the car back to his apartment building, but of course he still felt a little relieved when he could finally turn off the engine. He and Cy left everything they'd brought inside, except for their guitars - it wasn't a secret that cars often got set on fire or stolen around the area, and his guitar was the last possession Goob wanted to lose. So they headed back upstairs, and the second Goob unlocked the door to his apartment, he was greeted by the sound of the tv over in the living room, muffled by the closed door between it and the corridor.

"Guess your dad's home by now too", Cy said quietly behind him, and Goob nodded. But he didn't feel as relaxed about it as his friend. 

"Stay here", he muttered back, his hand already on the handle of the door to the living room. "Just. Don't follow me, okay?"

Another great thing about Cy was that, unlike Skeeter, he actually listened to requests like that. Yeah, he was raising an eyebrow at him, but that was it, thankfully. So Goob slowly pushed open the door, the tv immediately in his line of sight. Then he saw the couch - and on it, his dad, in a position halfway between sitting and lying down. He was asleep, evidently, and Goob found himself frowning. He knew from past experience that his dad hadn't just fallen asleep in front of the tv because he was tired. After all, he'd been out of the house all evening himself, so if he'd still had the energy to turn on the tv afterwards, that could only mean that he'd needed some sort of mental distraction.

Goob wasn't the only one in this family who had a messed up mind.

He turned off the television with a sigh, careful not to actually wake his dad. They kept a blanket in the room for nights just like this one, so Goob picked it up, tucking him in as best as he could. Slowly, very slowly, he even managed to get his dad into a lying position, and when he was sure he was still asleep, Goob shot him a weary smile and headed back over to Cy.

Cy, who was standing right by the door, watching him with an expression Goob didn't want to know how to read. It was a smile, kind of, mixed with unease and a bit of guilt. Sure, Cy had known about his and his dad's problems, but he'd never had to deal with a scene like this before. Goob's eyes met his only briefly, and then he pushed past his friend and into his room without a word.

Cy followed him shortly afterwards, but he didn't say anything either. Neither of them did, all the way until they were both ready to sleep, Goob in his bed and Cy in the sleeping bag they'd gotten him for his visits here. Only then did his bandmate speak up again. "That's exactly why you deserve great things", Goob heard his voice, hauntingly quiet now that the day was about to end. And even more haunting because of what Cy was saying. "'Cause behind all that roughness and all that spite... there's a really compassionate guy who got screwed over by life but still keeps on fighting day after day. Who's insanely loyal to the people he cares about and would do whatever it takes to make sure they won't have to deal with the same shit he does. And that's remarkable, really. There aren't a lot of people like that out there."

Goob bit his lip, glad Cy couldn't see his expression because he was facing the wall. There was so much he could tell him in return, about how wrong he was with all of that and whatnot. But maybe something inside him knew Cy was right, or maybe he just didn't feel like arguing after this wonderful time they'd spent together today. So he stayed quiet, hoping Cy would just assume him to be asleep already.

 _I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to think of myself the way you do, Cy_ , he thought as he actually felt himself drifting off. The memories of the evening filled his mind again, the starlit sky and Cy's oh so beautiful song. _But if holding on means getting to experience moments like that... then I think I've found something worth fighting for._

**Author's Note:**

> Turns out Cy is incredibly fun to write. Maybe I should do that more often :')
> 
> Cited song: Light Rays by Crovseyed ~


End file.
